steel co2 bottles?

Ok I have a complete kegging setup ready to go but guess what, There is nobody that i have found in panama city, fl that will fill my food grade co2 bottles. Airgas has steel bottles which i have heard can't be used because of the same reason why you don't put a open can in the fridge and then eat out of it, bacteria that can kill or something to the nature. Any truth in the fact that you cant use steel? Airgas doesn't fill bottles on site, they just have a exchange program and they are all steel and the only people that i have found that even will deal with me on co2. Pepsi won't mess with me and neither will the beer distributors. Is there somewhere else that i should be looking to get my personal bottles filled

Most people on here use steel CO2 canisters. If you can't find a place to fill it (or you have shiny Aluminum canisters you don't want to part with) try calling welding places or scuba shops, or paintball gun fields/shops. Otherwise, if that doesn't pan out just do the exchange program. What size is your tank? I'll bet it's steel anyways.

CO2 is CO2. You don't need 'food grade' because it's all the same thing. You're thinking of ptomaine poisoning in regards to the steel can being left open in the fridge. That's actually not true the steel is the cause either, it's just the same as any other dish left out, bacteria gets into your food.

Also check fire extinguisher shops. That's who I have fill my CO2

I use a steel tank, never had problems. I've read in places that steel isn't reccomended inside a keggerator because the temperature change can cause a leak. My experience has shown that to be untrue. Mine has never leaked in the keggerator, and if it was a problem, you wouldn't see welders with their acetylene and oxygen tanks mounted out in the open all year round in the back of their truck. Same goes my acetylene tank in my work truck. It sees all kinds of temperature extremes through the year.

Steel works just as well as aluminum. I had two steel bottles when I moved here, but exchanged them for aluminum. The welding shop I use reserves the steel tanks for "old coots" that refuse to use aluminum ones. I prefer the aluminum tanks since I keep them in the kegerator which has a condensation problem. No rust ring.

With gasses, the purity from highest to lowest is- industrial(most pure), medical then food grade. For steel tanks, as long as no moisture gets inside the tank it is fine. If I remember my chemistry right, moisture can mix with CO2 forming carbonic acid The reaction between the steel and carbonic acid could(maybe) lead to the gas carrying a metallic taste. Airgass handles premium industrial gasses.

I'm another one who uses steel tanks - two of them. Never an issue.

thanks, i think after hearing from you guys, i'll go with the steel, if i can't get these spun aluminum tanks filled

beerthirty said:

With gasses, the purity from highest to lowest is- industrial(most pure), medical then food grade. For steel tanks, as long as no moisture gets inside the tank it is fine. If I remember my chemistry right, moisture can mix with CO2 forming carbonic acid The reaction between the steel and carbonic acid could(maybe) lead to the gas carrying a metallic taste. Airgass handles premium industrial gasses.

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medical is a lot more pure than food and industrial, and is there such a thing as medical co2? I can't think of a use for it. Medical O2 has water in it so it doesn't make you mouth/throat dry as well.
Aviation O2 is even more pure than all of the above, but we are talking CO2.

If you make enough calls, particularly to fire extinguisher suppliers, you'll find someone to fill it. Where there are bars, there are companies to supply co2. Check with some bars to see where they get their co2.

I actually got my tank from airgas locally. I just exchange it whenever its empty. $10, 5 mins and I am out the door. Never had any problems at all.

We use medical CO2 in my lab for cell culture. It's really not much more pure than what I get from my LHBS.